Beauty and the Beast Newcomer Talks Tori and Vincent's 'Connection,' the 'Fun' of Beasting Out

The CW’s Beauty and the Beast (Mondays, 9/8c) added a bit of grrl power last week with the introduction of Tori, the daughter of one of Vincent’s targets who apparently has a bit of the beast within her, as well. TVLIne invited newcomer Amber Skye Noyes to tell us what’s going on behind Tori’s glowing eyes….

TVLINE | What is Tori thinking there, as she’s looking in the mirror at her altered appearance?
Oh, man…. If she’d seen those glowing eyes a day before, she probably would have been freaked out. But now that she knows what that means, she’s seen her father, she’s seen Vincent, she’s sees what those eyes mean — that she is a beast. She’s totally scared.

TVLINE | OK, because there’s been some debate whether she knew all along that she had a beast within her, and was just playing dumb.
No, that was the first time she’s seen her eyes like that and it’s sort of unclear what has triggered it. Was it just the stress, all this beast action around her, is it just her coming of age….?

TVLINE | A bad reaction to contact lenses…?
[Laughs] Exactly. But this is definitely the first time she’s seen herself change like that.

TVLINE | With her father dead, in what capacity does Tori stick around? Is she friend, is she foe?
We’re going to find that out, because as fans know, being a beast on this show can mean a lot of different things. You can be like Vincent and be a Robin Hood vigilante character. There’s Gabe, who was bad but is now good. And there have been all the other Beasts of the Week that showed up this season. We’re not sure, and Tori’s not sure either, so she’s going to have to figure out which one she is – and if she has any control over it. But it is pretty clear that there’s only one person she can really talk to about this, and that’s Vincent. So they’re obviously going to have a pretty clear connection.

TVLINE | How far will that connection go, though? They haven’t played anything romantic between the two of them thus far, but might Tori start forming an attachment to Vincent that Cat might not like?
Tori and Vincent, because they’re both beasts, are going to have a very different type of connection and relationship than Vincent and Cat could ever have. Tori’s going to be able to understand Vincent in certain ways, and vice versa. After all, we’ve never seen a male and female beast together, so we don’t really know how that will play out. But it is clear that even though they’re both beasts, Tori’s a new beast, so she doesn’t really know what she’s doing, while Vincent’s more experienced. If anyone is going to be a mentor and teach her a few things, it’s going to be Vincent. So, there’s that dynamic as well.

TVLINE | Talk about the Thanksgiving dinner in this week’s episode. It seems to be quite a motley crew gathered at the table – Cat, her father, Vincent, Tori, Gabe….
Well, what would Thanksgiving be for anybody without a little family drama?

TVLINE | Is Tori a pity invite? “Sorry I ripped your dad’s heart out. Here, have some cranberry sauce”?
Well, Gabe is there, too, which is also awkward. But we’ll find out why Tori and Gabe are there, and it’s for a good reason. And I can say is that somebody definitely “beasts out” at the Thanksgiving table.

TVLINE | Whether or not that person is Tori…. Actors, of course, possess a certain vanity. Are you on board with your full-on beast look?
As a female beast, we’re really trying to find that fine line between scary and beastly. It’s actually really interesting to play, and I can say that I do go into full beast mode in this next episode. Why, or how, who sees it and under what circumstances, you’ll have to tune in to find out. It’s definitely very liberating playing a beast. You really have to let go and channel your inner primal self. It’s pretty fun!

TVLINE | Did Jay Ryan give you any specific tips on how to do the glare, the head whip…?
Yes, totally. But I also wanted to find my own type of beast, since I’m the first girl. What does that mean? And do female beasts move a bit differently? Also, because Tori’s a new beast, she’s not really going to be totally comfortable in her own skin as this beast, so I think fans are really going to enjoy watching her journey. Is it good? Is it bad? Is it empowering? Is it scary?

TVLINE | What do we have you for? Just three episodes, as originally announced?
Tori’s going to be around for a little while. She’s got a lot to discover, she’s got a lot to bring to the story and she’s got a lot to add to the dynamic of Vincent and Cat and also Gabe and a lot of other characters. Like I said, we haven’t seen a beast, from the get go, develop into their own. Vincent and Gabe and all of the other beasts from the show, they’ve been established, very powerful beasts. And what’s cool about Tori is that she’s just learning what it’s like to be one. It’s really going to be a cool ride.